Welcome to A Month of Rain and Reads, a celebration of self-published and indie SFF throughout the entire month of November. To find out how you can take part and view the whole list of content, visit our introduction post.
Today I’m hosting a spotlight for The Wards Will Fall by Oleander Craw, a queer dark fantasy serial that you can read direct from the author’s website. Described as curious, mysterious, and for fans of contemporary fantasy classics like Princess Mononoke.
Maxwell helps maintain the wards keeping monstrous spirits at bay. But when a swarm of spirits overwhelms his garrison’s defensive wards, Maxwell flees to seek help for his people.
Far to the north lies an isolated country wrapped in powerful magic. They haven’t communicated with the outside world in hundreds of years, but if anyone can save Maxwell’s people, it’s them.
But Maxwell didn’t escape the night the wards fell unscathed, and he’s no longer as alone in his own head as he thinks…
A serialized fantasy novel that releases a chapter weekly on Mondays. Completely free to read. First five chapters posted publicly. Subscribe to the newsletter to read the rest!
The Wards Will Fall by Oleander Craw is a serialised queer dark fantasy that you can read on the author’s website with updated posted weekly. Find out more and read the first chapter!
About the Author
SFF & horror author who writes stories for queer and trans readers who want to chew on something weird and evocative.
Hi there! I’m Oleander Craw (they/he), a writer of science fiction, fantasy and horror. My work often revolves around themes of identity and power, featuring complex and flawed queer characters with a focus on queer masculinity. I’m a big fan of examining the monstrous while getting weird with it.
I have always enjoyed stories that aren’t afraid to meander into a dark and weird place, that illuminate the monstrous, and leave me irrevocably changed by the time I’ve closed the book. My goal is to self publish the stories that I have always wanted to see.
When I’m not writing I can be found lurking around the New England area of the US currently or devoting my time to my ever growing garden. I also enjoy lifting very heavy things and putting them back down repeatedly.
- Website: OleanderCraw.com
- Bluesky: oleandercraw.bsky.social
- Instagram: @oleander_craw
- Tumblr: oleandercraw
